Created and Directed by Jesca PrudencioFeaturing Natsumi Sophia Bellali and Hala ShahDevised in collaboration with the performers

In this new dance theater piece, two Muslim women wrestle with their call to dance and their call to faith. The religious and artistic journeys of Natsumi and Hala, two women who are both Muslim and professional dancers, intersect in this rich performance of movement and storytelling.

Directed by Ping Chong + Company member Jesca Prudencio, Calling: a dance with faith uses interview-based scripting and a devised process to create a wholly personal vision of the artistic self in relation to Muslim identity.

Photo by Idris Ademola

June 22-23 at 7pmDowntown Art70 East 4th Street

This workshop production is supported by Engaging Dance Audiences, administered by Dance/USA and made possible with generous funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. It is also supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Undesirable Elements is an ongoing series of community-specific interview-based theater works examining issues of culture and identity of individuals who are outsiders within their mainstream community. It's not a traditional play or documentary-theater project performed by actors. Instead, Undesirable Elements is presented as a chamber piece of story-telling; a “seated opera for the spoken word” that exists as an open framework that can be tailored to suit the needs and issues facing any community. The script is performed by the interviewees themselves, many of whom have never before spoken publicly. Since 1992, there have been over 40 productions in the series. Learn more here.